The Book Thief Reading Response

I always knew much about the Holocaust and how the Jewish people were persecuted, but never thought to focus on how the Germans were affected. It is like that for most people. Human rights seemed to be obsolete to many. When they think of Nazi Germany, they reflect on what happened to the Jews, and not so much on what it meant to be a citizen of Nazi Germany. Reading the Book Thief by Markus Zusak, opened my eyes to that ordeal. Though the Jews were suffering at a much higher capacity, the blonde haired, blue eyed bodies still had to watch their backs at all costs. The Hubermann’s faced many obstacles in their everyday lives. From barely getting enough food for survival to hiding a Jew in the basement, being a German citizen in the days of Hitler were not easy.

One of the things that stood out to me in The Book Thief was that even if you were just a regular German citizen, you could still not live the way you wanted. You had to live up to a certain stigma. For example, in the book where Liesel said out in public that she hated Hitler, she was slapped in the face by Hans. "I hate the Führer. […] I hate him". Hans wants to hug Liesel and say he's sorry about what's happened to her and her family. But, he does something else. He slaps her in the face. Being hit by Hans is far worse than being hit by Rosa or anyone else in this story. Hans tells her it's okay to say it when she's home, but nowhere else. Hans and Liesel make themselves salute and say, "Heil Hitler," though it was painful for both of them to say it. This scene impacted my perspective significantly. It was not at all fun and games. He did not want to do that to Liesel, but if that were overheard by an official, it would have gotten them in huge trouble. He was teaching Liesel how to survive. In that sense, the freedom of speech is compromised along with Article Two of Human Rights. There is always someone watching over your shoulder waiting for you to fail. That is a scary thing. 

Another event that stood out to me was when Max came to the Hubermann’s home, begging them to help him to live another day solely. Just because he was Jewish, he wasn’t given any rights. "In the basement of 33 Himmel Street, Max Vandenburg could feel the fists of the entire nation. One by one they climbed into the ring and beat him down." Max felt how much he was hated, and for no good reason. This event also reminded me of Article Two of the Human Rights Doctrine. “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms outlined in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or another opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or another status.” I ponder on how good I have it. I almost feel guilty for complaining about first world problems when I see how all of these humans suffered. Even the Germans had it much worse than me, nevermind the Jews. 

It is unfair to think just because someone is a different race, practices a different religion, or expresses themselves differently than the majority, that they become viewed as less a person. In the Book Thief, there are many examples of why this is true. I believe everyone suffered in the time of Hitler. Whether they were brainwashed, tortured, or killed. This still goes on today all over the world and it needs to be changed. Though the nations have progressed in many of these areas, there is still much work to be done.